Employment
California is known for having some of the nation’s most complex employment and labor laws, laws that require a team that is both experienced and nimble. Coblentz’s Chambers-ranked Employment Practice represents private and public companies, working as skillfully with small high-tech start-ups as we do with Fortune 500s and established nonprofits. Our employment attorneys are known for helping clients navigate the challenging labor and employment law landscape with ease. As noted in the Chambers guide, “The team at Coblentz is made up of excellent lawyers and trusted advisors. They are very responsive and engaged. They really prioritize us as a client and are able to deliver candid advice and good judgment while seeing issues from all sides.”
We Understand. We’ve Been There.
At Coblentz, our Employment Practice is built on experience — not just in the courtroom or the boardroom, but in real-world environments at companies where employment decisions are made and in key government agencies where enforcement actions are decided. We are seasoned employment lawyers who have lived both the in-house experience and the Big Law, big-ticket litigation experience.
Our value proposition is as simple as it is compelling: Our lawyers are veterans of many sophisticated in-house law departments, enforcement agencies, and employment practice groups at top-tier law firms. We know firsthand what it takes to balance legal compliance, business realities, and people management under pressure.
Because we’ve been there, we understand and handle every phase of the employment law lifecycle — from crafting clear, compliant policies and conducting sensitive internal investigations, to defending against agency charges and litigating high-stakes disputes.
Our lean staffing model ensures that every matter is handled by experienced attorneys who understand your business, your budget, and your goals. Simply put, we give compliant, quick, practical, and cost-effective advice. Think of us as your in-house colleague on demand. We understand that:
- Decisions must be made in a business context. We understand the competing priorities executives face and provide legal advice that aligns with operational needs and company culture.
- Advice must be timely and budget-conscious. We deliver concise, actionable guidance — fast — so your teams can move forward confidently within their budget.
- Litigation prevention starts early. Our proactive involvement helps clients navigate issues before they escalate, but when litigation is necessary, we’re strategic, assertive, and unafraid to take a stand.
- Execution matters. Every piece of our advice is designed to be implemented immediately. Our approach is sophisticated yet simple — no over-lawyering, no unnecessary layers, just expertise you can rely on and that makes your job easier. We’re not just advisors; we’re partners who understand what it’s like to be in your seat. We’ve faced the same urgent deadlines, budget constraints, uncertainties of litigation, and complex employee dynamics you face.
We also know that you must trust that your outside counsel will have your back. We strive to always keep you one step ahead by providing practical, business-minded counsel that gets results, manages risk, and controls dynamic litigation budgets. That’s why our clients trust us — because we don’t just know employment law, we know how it feels to live it.
We serve as outside human resources and employment counsel to a number of Bay Area businesses, giving us the insight that many firms just don’t have into the day-to-day challenges of corporate life. It also gives us the experience we need to advise our clients on all aspects of employment law workforces. Our deep experience includes audits of employment policies, procedures, and practices; sexual harassment and anti-discrimination training of human resource personnel, managers, and supervisors; negotiation and drafting of individual employment contracts; and counseling regarding wage and hour compliance.
Our attorneys also advise on employment matters, including:
- High-risk terminations
- Reductions in force
- Leave and disability accommodations issues
- EEOC and DFEH inquiries
- Human resources investigations
- Third-party staffing and third-party contractor arrangements
- Theft of trade secrets and other confidential business information
- Non-compete and other contract-based claims
Our employment litigators have assisted firm clients in putting a stop to, or recovering damages for, a wide range of improper activities regarding employee misconduct, including misuse of company property, theft of trade secrets, unfair competition, workplace violence and stalking, trade libel, breach of fiduciary duty, violations of nondisclosure agreements, and embezzlement.
We have defended virtually every kind of employment case, including class actions, collective actions, and public enforcement proceedings brought in every kind of forum, including:
- Wage and hour class actions and FLSA collective actions arising from alleged misclassification, overtime violations, and minimum wage violations
- Denial of meal and rest breaks
- Paystub and recordkeeping violations
- “Off the clock” work requirements
- Improper deductions from paychecks
- Sex, race, age, disability, pregnancy, and national origin discrimination
- Sexual and racial harassment
- Whistleblowing and retaliation
- Invasion of privacy
- Breach of express or implied contracts
- Theft of trade secrets
- Claims for statutory penalties under the Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act
- Fraud and breach of fiduciary duty
- Wrongful termination and other employment disputes
- Violations of FMLA and CFRA leave requirements
Because we work with both unionized and non-unionized workforces, our attorneys advise and represent clients on federal and state labor law. We represent clients when confronted with a union’s organizational campaign, at the bargaining table to negotiate collective bargaining agreements (CBA), in labor arbitrations to resolve workplace grievances, and in unfair labor practice charges before administrative agencies as well as federal and state court. We have advised clients on compliance through all phases of labor organizing, which include the following:
- Responses to union organizing campaigns, including card solicitations, access to property, and communications to employees
- Representation and (de)certification elections
- Negotiating initial, renewing, and expired CBAs
- Bargaining-unit petitions regarding accretion and clarification
- Worker grievances
- Strike, lockout, picketing, and shutdown planning
- Successorship and multi-employer unfunded liability issues in connection with business transfers
- Labor-relations strategy, as well as permissible workplace policies, practices, and rules
We are often engaged by our clients to perform sensitive, internal investigations typically involving serious allegations concerning key personnel. In these investigations, we are asked to organize a credible response to an often urgent situation in what can be a trying time in the life of the company. We thoroughly examine all the contested circumstances and provide an objective assessment of the facts so important employment decisions can be made based on the highest quality investigative process and product.
We are also regularly selected by parties to complex or class action employment cases – typically national in scope – to serve as Monitors of Consent Decrees that resolve those cases, or as Special Masters to resolve disputes arising under those Decrees. These cases involve wide-ranging injunctive, remedial, and corrective relief that seeks to re-engineer the employment systems that are alleged to have led to the underlying cases. We have handled multiple cases brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or by private class action plaintiffs’ firms against national companies. These assignments require active involvement with both parties to ensure that the agreed-upon transformational efforts are working and the Decree is being honored in the execution of those commitments. These assignments can also involve providing consulting services on how to design effective Human Resources functions, such as investigations, complaint analysis, and training methodologies.
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Fred W. AlvarezPartner -
Abraham M. Andrade IIISpecial Counsel -
Todd E. BrodyPartner -
Daniel M. BruggebrewPartner -
Hannah L. JonesPartner -
Maya MercadoAssociate -
Allison MoserPartner -
Rosanna Marrero NeaglePartner -
Laura R. SeegalPartner -
Ian Van DusenPartner -
Christopher WestmanPartner -
Hannah WithersSpecial Counsel -
Clifford E. YinPartner -
Charmaine YuPartner -
Stacey ZartlerSpecial Counsel
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